Tech Specs  | Processor: Intel Core i5-480M |
| Processor Speed: 2.66GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.19GHz |
| L3 Cache: 3MB |
| Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit |
| Screen Size: 15.6" HD WXGA |
| Resolution: 1366 x 768 |
| LCD Features: TFT color; VibrantView (Glossy); LED backlight; 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Video Graphics: Intel GMA HD |
| Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM SATA |
| Memory: 4GB DDR3 1066MHz (8GB Maximum) |
| Camera: 0.3MP |
| Audio: 2 x 2W speakers |
| Communications: 802.11b/g/n; 10/100 ethernet |
| Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion battery |
| Battery Life: Up to 4.5 hours |
| Expansion: 2 x USB 2.0 and 1 x eSATA / USB combo port; VGA; HDMI; Ethernet (RJ-45); Mircophone Input; Headphone Jack; One Slot Express Card / 34; 5-in-1 Reader |
| Dimensions: 9.8" x 14.8" x 0.7"-1.4" |
| Weight: 5.73 lbs. |
| Manufacturer Warranty: One Year Parts and Labor |
Get a Lenovo IdeaPad Z560, Intel Core i5-480M (2.66GHz up to 3.19GHz with Turbo Boost) for $649.99 at Buy.com, a $30 Savings! Valid through 02-06-2011
Review:
Lenovo's business-orientated ThinkPad range is no stranger to PC Pro's A List, and now the first of its newly-redesigned IdeaPad models has landed on our doorstep. The IdeaPad Z560 isn't going to have it easy, though: it joins legions of 15.6in notebooks all desperate to ensnare the casual consumer with promises of power, poise and affordability.
It's certainly good looking. Its glossy black lid is now an elderly design cliché, but while the chassis weighs in at a hefty 2.58kg, the smooth curves and bold Lenovo logo still manage to make many of its competitors look decidedly frumpy. The brushed aluminium interior, meanwhile, shuns gaudiness and colour for a monochromatic, classy feel. Consumer laptop this may be, but it looks like it means business.
Build quality isn't up to bullet-proof ThinkPad standards, the IdeaPad's glossy lid feels well up to protecting the TFT panel within. The base and wristrest also prove impressively taut and stiff. Only the area around the DVD writer feels a bit creaky: picking the laptop up by its corner occasionally produced unpleasant creaks as the DVD writer flexed in its moorings.
We're willing to forgive such minor transgressions in light of the rather excellent keyboard, however. The Scrabble-tile keys provide a lovely feel, and despite the narrow-right shift key (Lenovo has decided to cram the cursor keys in alongside) the layout makes for supremely pleasant typing. The touchpad is less praiseworthy: depressing the soft-feeling buttons often saw our thumbs foul the trackpad and arrest the pointer in its tracks, making drag and drop operations aggravatingly tricky.
The ubiquitous blue ThinkVantage button, ever-present on Lenovo's business laptops, is replaced with a row of touch-sensitive buttons along the keyboard's top edge. A quick dab of the finger is all it takes to mute the volume or slow the cooling fans down for quiet operation, while the other two buttons give one-touch access to Lenovo's OneKey Theater mode and Energy Management application.
Dab the OneKey Theater mode button while watching a movie, and you'll be glad you did. The tinny speakers sound lightweight at first, but the OneKey Theater mode enables Dolby's Audio Enhancer software, which gives audio more body and substance. Image quality darkens slightly, too, which seems to give movies and images a touch more solidity. DisplayMate soon revealed these benefits come at the cost of crushed blacks and some banding in greyscale ramps, however.
With or without Lenovo's OneKey Theater mode, however, the 15.6in 1,366 x 768 display is a competent performer. There's no lack of brightness, and good colour reproduction and fine contrast made a great job of displaying our HD videos and test photographs accurately. As with most notebooks in its class, however, viewing angles are narrow.
You can save money by going for a model equipped with a Core i3 processor, but we can't see why you would, so reasonable are the prices of faster models. Our review laptop had a Core i5-450M at the helm accompanied by 4GB of DDR3 memory, with a dedicated graphics chipset, Nvidia's GeForce 310M, taking the reins from the Intel HD graphics embedded on the processor. It's a highly competent pairing. Our application benchmarks raced to a fine 1.67, and managed a modest 36fps in our Crysis gaming test, with resolution set to the native 1,366 x 768 and detail left at its lowest setting.
It's disappointing that Lenovo hasn't employed Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching technology. Instead, the power-efficient HD graphics embedded on Intel's Core i5 lie dormant; a decision that sees light-use battery life tumble to a distinctly average 3hrs 49mins. Heavy use, meanwhile, runs the battery dry in just 56 minutes.
Elsewhere there's a sizable 500GB hard disk, a 0.3 megapixel webcam, single-band 802.11n wireless and Bluetooth. Connectivity is good too, with a bevy of ports and connectors: D-SUB and HDMI monitor outputs nestle alongside three USB 2 ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA port, and the increasingly rare provision of an ExpressCard/34 slot is complemented by an SD/MMC/xD/MS memory card reader.
Lenovo's IdeaPad Z560 is a confident entry into the consumer 15.6in notebook market. A few niggles preclude it from earning a Recommended award, such as the errant touchpad buttons and poor battery life, but it's nonetheless impressive that Lenovo has managed to shoehorn Intel's Core i5, a dedicated Nvidia graphics chipset and an excellent keyboard into a gorgeous looking chassis for just £554.
Get a Lenovo IdeaPad Z560, Intel Core i5-480M (2.66GHz up to 3.19GHz with Turbo Boost) for $649.99 at Buy.com, a $30 Savings! Valid through 02-06-2011
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